Morrison, Inc. recognized for recycling efforts

Morrison, Inc. has been recognized by the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) as being one of the group’s top recyclers of mercury-containing thermostats in the nation.

Mercury thermostats have been used to control heating and cooling systems for decades, and if improperly disposed of, can be harmful to humans and the environment. The World Health Organization actually considers mercury exposure to be a major health concern; it can impair neurological development in children and adults, and can cause behavioral issues, kidney toxicity, digestive tract issues, lung problems and even be fatal if inhaled or ingested.

The Thermostat Recycling Corporation (TRC), a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing simple, free solutions for recycling mercury thermostats, has established 3,600 collection points across 48 states. Since their founding in 1998, they’ve kept over 10 tons of mercury out of the world’s waste stream.

David Haas, president of Morrison Incorporated, said, “We had been accumulating mercury thermostats for many years, prior to the formation of TRC in 2013, and when TRC was announced, we immediately signed-on and began disposing of mercury thermostats properly. Many HVAC contractors improperly dispose of mercury thermostats by throwing them in the general waste stream, which may allow mercury to leach from the landfill wastewater.”

Ryan Kiscaden, executive director of TRC, says he is impressed with the ACCA members who demonstrated best practices by removing and safely recycling mercury-containing thermostats while on service calls and during the replacement of systems. “This demonstrates that the backbone of our industry, the contractor, is the first line of activity in protecting the environment in the removal of all mercury-containing thermostats.”

“ACCA members are highly skilled professionals who are committed to protecting the environment and safely recycling mercury-containing thermostats,” said Barton James, interim president and CEO, ACCA.

Haas points out that his company’s efforts to protect the environment extend well beyond their mercury thermostat recycling program. “Morrison Inc works diligently to reduce our impact on the environment by recycling materials wherever possible: by properly disposing of printed circuit boards, waste oil from systems we remove, refrigerant recovery/recycling, and recycling scrap materials to minimize impact on general waste landfills.”

Consumers needing to dispose of mercury-containing thermostats should contact Morrison, Inc. at 740-373-5869.